Ever since we could toddle, many of us joined little-league teams in soccer, tee ball, or dance- to name a few. Some of us tried sports and decided we would rather learn an instrument or join scouts. After a few years of only going to games for the snacks, some of us finally told our families that we didn’t want to play sports. Others fell in love with the competition and developed a passion for play.

The passionate children played throughout their youth, graduated to modified in seventh grade, and then entered the high school sports system. In the 1990s and early 2000s, one’s high school career provided the necessary skills to compete at the collegiate level. Upon graduation, many athletes would attend their respective colleges, try out for their school’s team, and join the squad.

But today, this process differs dramatically.

Today, collegiate sports are heavily based on the recruitment. Through scouting and social media interaction, aspiring college athletes communicate with and showcase their talents for college coaches while still in high school. With millions of high schools across the country, coaches barely scratch the surface when visiting a few towns each weekend. Jason Smith, a writer for “USA Today High School Sports” elaborates. “Powerhouse high school sports programs can tend to hog the spotlight. And for athletes in smaller high schools, this can create some roadblocks in recruiting” (Smith).

So how does a small-school star attract Division I attention? Smith proposes “find[ing] a travel club team in your area”.

Club sports are “pay-to-play” programs where athletes compete for organizations outside their school districts. The club season consumes 10-12 months of the year- often conflicting with the high school season. Throughout the year, club teams travel across the country to compete in showcase tournaments and national qualifiers. In their mission statements, many club organizations “promise elite competition and D1 athletic scholarships for their athletes” (Moore). According to Smith, this is because “For many sports… college coaches prefer to recruit from club or travel programs… because they can see multiple top recruits in just one weekend” (Smith). Club sports also allow athletes to develop friendships with people outside their school districts.

On the surface, club sports seem like a gold mine for aspiring collegiate athletes- especially those from smaller high schools. However, we have yet to discuss a key component of club sports: the cost.

On average, club sports cost between $100 and $500 per month, per child (Smith). This does not include the cost of equipment and travel for spectators. Some sports, like volleyball, cost significantly more. The average club volleyball season can run parents upwards of $10,000 (Smith)! With the U.S average disposable income sitting at $3,258 per person, a family with three children would be spending nearly half their disposable income on club sports alone (Swanson). Forget that family vacation you always dreamed of: you’re going to soccer practice instead!

With this information, one may conclude that club sports are a luxury and therefore “aren’t in the cards” for some families. However, in an extremely competitive recruitment “market”, joining a club organization is nearly essential. According to an NCAA survey of 21,233 current college athletes, “95 percent of women and 93 percent of men played club soccer. 92 percent of women and 89 percent of men played club basketball, [and] 94 percent of softball players… competed on club teams” (Moore). These overwhelming statistics reveal that nearly every college recruit played at the club level in high school, which unearths a civic issue that we must address: the relationship between economic standing and opportunity for recruitment.

This system shields potential star athletes from the recruitment game. Even if a high school coach advocates for his or her player, coaches rarely venture to a school to watch one player, especially when they can watch hundreds at a showcase.

So how can we combat this issue and ensure that the most qualified athletes can continue their careers at the collegiate level? Change in both club and collegiate institutions can couple to create recruitment equality.

At the club level, leaders can visit local high schools to speak with athletes and their parents. Although parents would not share their financial status with a stranger, the club’s leadership could express interest in the child’s athletic career and devise a financial plan that allows the child to join the organization. For example, the club could create a needs-based scholarship program for student-athletes and their families. The club could also create a work-study-type program to help lower costs. This could include coaching a youth clinic or helping transport equipment to and from practice facilities. Both the former and latter programs would teach the student-athlete about having a work ethic while also providing them with an opportunity to play.

At the collegiate level, coaches and institutions can make an effort to connect with non-club athletes on social media. It would be unrealistic to expect a USC coach to fly to Rochester, NY to watch a 90-minute soccer game, but social media interactions could provide otherwise-missed exposure. After a game, an athlete could send the USC coach a highlight tape along with contact information and a brief biography. The USC coach could then view the tape, meet with the student, and potentially invite him or her to a campus visit. For the families that cannot afford social media-compatible devices, college coaches could use university-sponsored subscriptions to connect with athletes. For example, a coach could instruct an athlete to visit a public library and enter a Zoom code to video chat. 

Unfortunately, club organizations will continue to be the prime method of exposure for recruitment. However, if local clubs and collegiate institutions create alternative recruitment pathways, we could reduce the economic inequality associated with collegiate sports. In future blogs, I will dive deeper into club sports as an institution along with strategies to increase fairness. I will also explore how club sports and the recruitment process undermine the “high school experience”.  In the comments, I would love to hear some pivot-point ideas to expand this idea in future entries.

Works Cited:

Moore, John. USA Today High School Sports. 17 May 2017. Web. 2 February 2022.

Smith, Jason. USA Today High School Sports. 1 August 2017. Web. 2 February 2022.

—. USA Today High School Sports. 18 April 2017. Web. 2 February 2022.

Swanson, Ana. “How your disposable income compares to other people’s around the world.” The Washington Post 24 March 2015. Web.